General News
15 February, 2024
Fun run celebrates decades of iconic moments
SOME of the best male runners to emerge from the south west have graced the Terang and District Lions Fun Run and Walk with their talent, resulting in back-and-forth jostling for the top spot over the past four decades.
As part of this year’s event, organisers are paying tribute to the multi-event winners who have displayed their athletic prowess traversing the 5.92 kilometres between Noorat and Terang.
Last week Western District Newspapers explored the history of the women who had claimed multiple victories, which included two decades of dominance from close-friends Judy McDowall (12 wins) and Jennie Dowie (seven wins).
While such a sustained period of dominance has not been replicated by the male competitors, there has been no shortage of competitors enjoying their own stretches of success.
Since 1987, however, all competitors have been chasing a 23-year-old Steve Moneghetti after he set the course record with a time of 17.33.
He refused to accept the winner’s trophy as he was fresh off claiming bronze at the Edinburgh Commonwealth Games. He instead turned around, ran back to Noorat to collect his vehicle, then returned to sign autographs for the kids who had flocked to meet an Olympian.
However, the same year would also welcome Colac runner John Paatsch; he would be declared the official winner and begin the first period of dominance for a multi-event winner in the event’s history.
Mr Paatsch would salute in a time of 18.19 before claiming back-to-back-to-back victories in 1988/89 in 19.05 and 18.40, respectively.
Mr Paatsch would step away before returning in 1994 to again claim victory.
“John Paatsch was the first male to be the overall winner of the race on four occasions,” Terang and District Lions Fun Run and Walk co-organiser Steven O’Connor said.
“Sadly John, who had taken up bike riding, lost his life in a tragic accident just near his home, while he was training for an event, in 2014 at the age of 49.”
While the four-time winner had stamped his position in the pages of history through with his impressive exploits, it was during his time away the beginnings of a new era of dominance would show itself.
In 1992 a new arrival, Warrnambool’s Vin McCarthy, had burst on to the scene to not only win on debut but record the second fastest time behind Steve Moneghetti’s record, getting home in a blazing 18.02.
Mr McCarthy would return to the top spot again in 1995, and remain there through 1996 and 1997.
Over the next two years it would be a tale of what could have been; narrowly running out of time to catch Peter Easton in 1998 and being run down in 1999 by Scott Rantall to finish just six seconds behind.
In 2000 he would more than make up for it, returning for a record fifth time in a memorable performance.
“Vin won despite pushing a three-wheeled pram with his baby daughter on board, in extremely humid conditions running the time of 18.53,” Mr O’Connor said.
“This performance is etched is the memory of many locals.
“To this day he has two of the three fastest times behind Steve Moneghetti.”
Five wins over a nine-year period had solidified Mr McCarthy as the winningest male runner in the event’s history, but during his reign of dominance a young athlete had been ascending the junior ranks with multiple records which still stand all these years later.
That man was Warrnambool’s Clinton Hall, who took out the top spot in his first year as an open runner (2001) with a 20.14 time.
He would officially go back-to-back in 2002, but would not technically be the fastest home.
That distinction would again go to Steve Moneghetti, who had returned 15 years after setting the fastest run in the event history to shave 23 seconds off that time.
That record of 17.10 still stands to this day.
Not to be overshadowed, Mr Hall would continue his meteoric rise with victories in 2003 and 2004, bringing his win tally to four.
But a new front runner would emerge in 2005, and with his arrival records would fall.
Warrnambool’s Kris McCartney would salute for the first time with Mr Hall trailing by 11 seconds.
This tandem would become one all too familiar over the years, with Mr McCartney beginning a dominant reign in which he claimed victory from 2007 through to 2011, with Mr Hall consistently grabbing a second placing throughout.
In 2012 Mr Hall would capitalise on Mr McCartney’s absence, securing his fifth open title victory, but in 2013 and 2014 Mr McCartney would return to claim wins seven and eight, solidifying himself as the winningest male runner in the history of the event.
Speaking with Western District Newspapers this week, Mr McCartney said he had not been aware of his position atop the leader board for most wins nor realised just how consistently he had won.
“It’s pretty incredible to know you have your name on the plaque,” he said.
“It certainly wasn’t a goal or aspiration, I loved the event and getting to support a local race with such a great atmosphere.
“I’m surprised to hear I won between 2007 and 2011, I honestly just didn’t register it at the time and was just taking it every race as it came.
“Retrospectively, that’s amazing, but I must admit I had no idea.”
In 2015, Mr Hall would return to the winner’s circle to secure his sixth victory; for which he would receive a special trophy in memory of fellow multi-event winner John Paatsch who died the previous year.
Tragically, Mr Hall died suddenly in 2022, aged 43, having won the open male category event six times – second highest in the history of the run.
In 2023, the winner of the male open category would receive the Clinton Hall Memorial Trophy with the wider Hall family proudly in attendance.
Mr McCartney said he remembered Mr Hall as a talented runner, and an even better person.
“There was one year I rode from Warrnambool to Noorat to get some fatigue in my legs to prepare for a triathlon, but I saw Clinton lining up at the start and thought, “Oh no, it was already going to be hard enough as it is”,” he said.
“As soon as the gun went off I’d hate him but as soon as we finished we would shake hands and have a beer together.
“He was a good bloke, rest his soul, just a nice guy.
“In retrospect it was always good to have people like that, who could push you along and force you to be the best version of yourself.”
In recent years Warrnambool’s Tom Hynes has emerged as the latest winner of multiple events, with Stephen O’Connor praising his victories in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020 to draw equal with Mr Paatsch.
“We first saw Tom in 2010 competing in the U/12 event winning the medal, he took the eye of the race organisers from the beginning,” he said.
“A slightly built kid that had incredible endurance, Tom would go on improving and winning his age group and never far away from the leading runners.
“Just out of U/15’s Tom finished third behind Kris McCartney and Clinton Hall in 2013 and 2014, and the following year still in the U/18’s he came second to Clinton Hall.
“Over the next five years, Tom has won the event on each occasion he has competed.”
Western District Newspapers thanks the Terang Athletic Club, as their research provided the foundations upon which this series has been written.
To register for the 2024 Terang and District Lions Club Community Fun Run and Walk, which will hit the streets on February 23 from 6.30pm, visit www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1165831.
